Community Forestry and Arboriculture | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Source: http://www.warnell.uga.edu/research/content/community-forestry-and-arboriculture
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:16
Community Forestry and Arboriculture | Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
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Community Forestry and Arboriculture
Community forestry
is the art and science of managing individual trees, tree stands, forests, and green spaces. A community forester is involved in assessment and appraisal of urban trees and sites, community planning and design decisions related to trees, community engagement and education, developing ordinances for tree protection, maintaining reliable and safe utility lines, and more. Community foresters often work with a variety of local leaders to sustainably protect and manage trees.
Arboriculture
is the cultivation, health care, and management of individual trees in rural, suburban, and urban places, including trees that grow among community hardscapes, urban canyons, streets, highways, yards, parks, cemeteries, schools, rights-of-way, utility lines, and buildings. Through knowledge of tree biology and physiology, tree biomechanics, maintenance, health care and risk assessment, arborists address the range of challenges faced by trees in constrained, human-engineered environments. Arborists also use new technology to improve effectiveness and safety on the job, such as drone technology, spatial analysis data and software, and resistance-measuring devices.
Graduate Degrees in Community Forestry and Arboriculture
Graduates gather resident input on trees, sites, and local environmental issues, and may work as:
Tree, forest, and environmental advocates for interest groups and nongovernmental organizations
Municipal foresters
Commercial forest health care providers
Community planners, designers, and consultants
Graduates are also encouraged to become
certified arborists
through the International Society of Arboriculture. Arborists may work for:
Commercial tree health care and estate management firms
Municipal governments
Non-government organizations
Utility providers
CURRICULUM
Community Forestry and Arboriculture can be pursued under the MNR, MS, and PhD degree programs. To pursue COFA as an official area of emphasis, the following courses are required for each degree:
Course ID
Name
Hours*
Choose at least 1:
COFA 7500
Community Forest Management
3
COFA 7010/L
Urban Tree Management II
4
Electives:
COFA 7001
Urban Tree Management !
3
COFA 7300/L
Community and Urban Soils and Site Development
4
COFA 7980
COFA Problems
1-3
* Total of 9 hours required for AOE
Questions?
For general questions about pursuing a graduate degree at Warnell, contact a member of the graduate team:
Dr. Kyle Maurice Woosnam
, Graduate Coordinator
Office: 1-301A
Phone: 864-653-0167
Email:
woosnam@uga.edu
Kate deDufour
, Graduate Program Administrator
Office: 1-217
Phone: 706-542-1183
Prospective students should also contact faculty members for questions specific to this disciplinary area. Please check faculty members’ personal pages for information about their individual research interests and projects to ensure that you are contacting the most relevant ones.
Related Articles
Is your insurance company worried about your yard trees?
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 3:00pm
Trees provide shade, aesthetics, and environmental benefits, but they can also pose risks to homes when poorly maintained, structurally unsound, or in hazardous locations. Insurers must evaluate these risks consistently to determine potential liability and preventive measures.
Extension Urban Forestry Academy plants roots for stronger tree care
Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 10:00am
Approximately 82 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban and suburban areas, environments which have several socioeconomic and ecological stressors that can reduce human health and well-being and diminish ecosystem health.
Urban tree experts offer guidance before, after major storms
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 9:02am
As Hurricane Idalia cuts a swath through the Southeast, some trees will fare better than others.
Hiding in plain sight: Georgia's native hawthorn trees
Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 1:40pm
Let’s play a tree game. How many of Georgia’s native trees can you identify?
Tree experts connect over urban forests
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 - 1:36pm
We know a good bit about forests, and the factors that make a healthy one. But what about the trees that live across an urban landscape?
Personnel
Rebecca Abney
Assistant Professor of Forest & Disturbed Soils
Holly Campbell
Public Service Associate
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care, University Hill Fellow for Distinguished Public Service & Outreach
Jason Gordon
Associate Professor of Community Forestry
Practiced at its highest potential, community forest management is multidisciplinary and involves an integration of social and physical sciences. I apply social science research methods and theory to study impacts of natural resource utilization, social and structural change at the urban-rural…
Ignazio Graziosi
Assistant Outreach Professor of Tree Biology Structure and Health
Support Warnell
We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience.
Learn more about giving
.
Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.
Get in touch
Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources
University of Georgia
180 E Green Street
Athens, GA 30602-2152
Phone:
706-542-2686
Fax:
706-542-8356
Login for Faculty and Staff
Submit a Student Complaint
Skip to main content
Skip to main menu
Skip to spotlight region
Skip to secondary region
Skip to UGA region
Skip to Tertiary region
Skip to Quaternary region
Skip to unit footer
Slideshow
Community Forestry and Arboriculture
Community forestry
is the art and science of managing individual trees, tree stands, forests, and green spaces. A community forester is involved in assessment and appraisal of urban trees and sites, community planning and design decisions related to trees, community engagement and education, developing ordinances for tree protection, maintaining reliable and safe utility lines, and more. Community foresters often work with a variety of local leaders to sustainably protect and manage trees.
Arboriculture
is the cultivation, health care, and management of individual trees in rural, suburban, and urban places, including trees that grow among community hardscapes, urban canyons, streets, highways, yards, parks, cemeteries, schools, rights-of-way, utility lines, and buildings. Through knowledge of tree biology and physiology, tree biomechanics, maintenance, health care and risk assessment, arborists address the range of challenges faced by trees in constrained, human-engineered environments. Arborists also use new technology to improve effectiveness and safety on the job, such as drone technology, spatial analysis data and software, and resistance-measuring devices.
Graduate Degrees in Community Forestry and Arboriculture
Graduates gather resident input on trees, sites, and local environmental issues, and may work as:
Tree, forest, and environmental advocates for interest groups and nongovernmental organizations
Municipal foresters
Commercial forest health care providers
Community planners, designers, and consultants
Graduates are also encouraged to become
certified arborists
through the International Society of Arboriculture. Arborists may work for:
Commercial tree health care and estate management firms
Municipal governments
Non-government organizations
Utility providers
CURRICULUM
Community Forestry and Arboriculture can be pursued under the MNR, MS, and PhD degree programs. To pursue COFA as an official area of emphasis, the following courses are required for each degree:
Course ID
Name
Hours*
Choose at least 1:
COFA 7500
Community Forest Management
3
COFA 7010/L
Urban Tree Management II
4
Electives:
COFA 7001
Urban Tree Management !
3
COFA 7300/L
Community and Urban Soils and Site Development
4
COFA 7980
COFA Problems
1-3
* Total of 9 hours required for AOE
Questions?
For general questions about pursuing a graduate degree at Warnell, contact a member of the graduate team:
Dr. Kyle Maurice Woosnam
, Graduate Coordinator
Office: 1-301A
Phone: 864-653-0167
Email:
woosnam@uga.edu
Kate deDufour
, Graduate Program Administrator
Office: 1-217
Phone: 706-542-1183
Prospective students should also contact faculty members for questions specific to this disciplinary area. Please check faculty members’ personal pages for information about their individual research interests and projects to ensure that you are contacting the most relevant ones.
Related Articles
Is your insurance company worried about your yard trees?
Monday, December 8, 2025 - 3:00pm
Trees provide shade, aesthetics, and environmental benefits, but they can also pose risks to homes when poorly maintained, structurally unsound, or in hazardous locations. Insurers must evaluate these risks consistently to determine potential liability and preventive measures.
Extension Urban Forestry Academy plants roots for stronger tree care
Thursday, May 29, 2025 - 10:00am
Approximately 82 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban and suburban areas, environments which have several socioeconomic and ecological stressors that can reduce human health and well-being and diminish ecosystem health.
Urban tree experts offer guidance before, after major storms
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - 9:02am
As Hurricane Idalia cuts a swath through the Southeast, some trees will fare better than others.
Hiding in plain sight: Georgia's native hawthorn trees
Thursday, June 1, 2023 - 1:40pm
Let’s play a tree game. How many of Georgia’s native trees can you identify?
Tree experts connect over urban forests
Tuesday, April 11, 2023 - 1:36pm
We know a good bit about forests, and the factors that make a healthy one. But what about the trees that live across an urban landscape?
Personnel
Rebecca Abney
Assistant Professor of Forest & Disturbed Soils
Holly Campbell
Public Service Associate
Dr. Kim D. Coder
Professor of Tree Biology & Health Care, University Hill Fellow for Distinguished Public Service & Outreach
Jason Gordon
Associate Professor of Community Forestry
Practiced at its highest potential, community forest management is multidisciplinary and involves an integration of social and physical sciences. I apply social science research methods and theory to study impacts of natural resource utilization, social and structural change at the urban-rural…
Ignazio Graziosi
Assistant Outreach Professor of Tree Biology Structure and Health
Support Warnell
We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience.
Learn more about giving
.
Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.
Get in touch
Warnell School of Forestry
and Natural Resources
University of Georgia
180 E Green Street
Athens, GA 30602-2152
Phone:
706-542-2686
Fax:
706-542-8356
Login for Faculty and Staff
Submit a Student Complaint